4 Skills To Have If You Want To Succeed

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What do the leaders in a business have that you don't? Very few people rise to the top of an organization and lead it successfully. So what attributes do they possess, what skills, and knowledge do they bring to the table.

Business brings with it a daily supply of problems. They may include many different types of issues. They all have to be addressed. The hard part, the skill that separates us from the leaders is their ability to determine the critical issue of a conflict. They have the ability to listen carefully and spot the real issue of any situation.

 Issue Discernment
The problem is for the skilled listener is to cut through the distractions, spin and noise. Listening and asking the right questions because you need to understand the facts of a problem. You must have the ability to get to the underlying issue by cutting through the motivation and personal agenda of all you talk to determine the facts. Cutting away the fat of the problem till you get to the meat of the issue. If you can do that, you will succeed.

 Ability To Lead Change
Now that you have identified the issue at hand, it's time to work a solution. Here you will deal with upsetting the status quo. You have to convince people to change direction. This is sometimes tough to do because habits are hard to break. You make enemies along the way, but you must be able bring your people along in through constant communication. The process must consist of explaining the benefits to the company and the employees who will implement it. You will have resistance, so with those people you may have to refine the process and ask the difficult people to join you in the changes. This set of skills is what real leaders have and what it takes to be in the top positions of business.

 Picking Your Battles
The third skill to have is the ability to choose you battles wisely. The best kind of battles are those with no opponent. For example instead of having a cost cutting campaign that will cause derision, have instead a quality improvement drive. A lot of negatives arise from the first, but who would not be on board with the second. The trick is to avoid direct confrontation with organized opposition.

But is it really a battle with no opponents? If your fighting against entrenched procedures, it will feel like a battle. The best battles are against those things that will have the greatest benefit across multiple departments. You will make many allies for future battles.

 Inspire People To Greatness
The last trait to have is to bring extraordinary results from ordinary people. Most organizations have ordinary hardworking people in them. If you can get them producing you be appreciated by your own superiors and boost your capital in the organization. The leader must know how to get exceptional results from the average producers in the company.

Your not going to have these great results come over night, but is possible to bring them up incrementally. To do this you must set up an environment of instruction and training that helps them make better decisions. With that you will get better results from their work produced. You may not get superior results at times, but you will get above average results which is the norm of your competition. The kind of environment you give your people for making better decisions and the bringing them along as an equal will get the results you want.All the while really leading as a dictator.

These traits I have listed are only a start. If you have the ability to lead, your own traits must come forward and be put to work. It's easy to discount the abilities the leaders in an organization have as inconsequential. Yet they are the leaders and your not.